Quinn: Fans the reason Tebow jumped me on depth chart

BRADY QUINN (backup QB, Denver Broncos): Early in the season, there was a game when Kyle [Orton] got hurt and the coaches were calling for me to go in, but Kyle got up and finished the game out. So I was the second-string guy. Then, a few weeks later, they decided to put Tim in. I felt like the fans had a lot to do with that. Just ‘cause they were chanting his name. There was a big calling for him. No, I didn’t have any billboards. That would have been nice….

...We’ve had a lot of, I guess, luck, to put it simply…

...If you look at it as a whole, there’s a lot of things that just don’t seem very humble to me. When I get that opportunity, I’ll continue to lead not necessarily by trying to get in front of the camera and praying but by praying with my teammates, you know?

Just in case you wanted confirmation that Brady Quinn won't be returning to the Denver Broncos, you've got it now. Quinn's comments aren't just a criticism of Tebow, but the entire process by which the organization operated last year.

And for the record, Brady, I did have some Quinn billboards ready the week after the loss against the Lions. I just didn't run them because of the death threats.

I'd also like to hear the tape of this interview that both parties claim to have. That's the ultimate teller of this. If these comments are as accurate as Silver says they are, then yeah, Quinn's gotta go.Posted by Moi on 2012-02-25 11:19:19

Regardless of any spin on these comments by our pal Silver, you'd think the Chef debacle earlier in the season would have clued the team in that this "journalist" is a lying scumbag and avoided him like the plague.Posted by Moi on 2012-02-25 11:17:04

All I know is thew minute Tim Tebow replaced Kyle Orton as the starting QB it was like a light switch went on snd the electricity started flowing again as a Broncos fan.It became a chore to cheer on the Broncos during the Kyle Orton era and it was suddenly fun to watch a game again,which as good as Jay Cutler and Kyle Orton performed it was never as fun as watching Tebow.Would Quinn had been able to deliver the same spark had he been given the opportunity? I feel that we will learn that answer when Brady goes to a new team next year.I believe that winning in contagious as is losing and Tebow changed the complexion of the game. Was he difficult to watch at times? Yes,it was but then again it was difficult to watch Elway early in his career when he would have multiple interception games and he threw a 5 yard screen pass that bounced off the running backs hands because it was thrown too hard.Will Tebow improve? Time will tell. For all we know the Broncos might go back to their losing ways next season and the team will once again be in disarray but for one magical season lightning was caught in a bottle and Tebow became only the 4th Denver Broncos QB to win a playoff game, something the great John Elway didnt accomplish until his fourth season,For one reason or another the Denver Broncos put out the best team that they felt would give the Denver Broncos the best chance to win a football game and for the last 12 games of the 2011 season Tebow was their man and he was successful on the scoreboard to the tune of an 7-5 recordOne last thing,Tebow himself would be sure to admit, he does have a lot of room for improvement, but for a role model he is non parralled in the sports world and I do not doubt his insincerityPosted by Charlie Kirkpatrick on 2012-02-22 18:26:31

The way you leave your current job is you first interview for your new job. Ask Cutler, Jay.Posted by Ralph_W on 2012-02-21 15:48:39

Heh, the old 'context' defense. Doesn't seem like you need much more context for this:

"I felt like the fans had a lot to do with that. Just ‘cause they were chanting his name. There was a big calling for him. No, I didn’t have any billboards. That would have been nice."Posted by Darwin Corn on 2012-02-21 15:29:59

"Why would any QB come to Denver after reading this?"

As Elway put it, Guy, why would we want a QB who'd get scared off by this anyway?Posted by Darwin Corn on 2012-02-21 15:26:49

Sometimes publically stating the obvious is not the sign of a pro or a team player.

Keeping your head down and mouth shut to the public is being a pro and team player.

And if the Broncos saw potential in Quinn why wouldnt they have extended him?Posted by BRASO on 2012-02-21 14:31:25

Agreed tunesmith. That last preseason game was why Quinn wasn't the guy, I remember thinking "wow" about Fox's comment's going into halftime as well.Posted by Bronco_Mike on 2012-02-21 14:24:44

Welcome to the media hurricane surrounding Tebow, Brady Quinn. I thought you got an above average education @ Notre Dame.

Lesson to all those EVER asked about a question regarding anything that could be linked to Tebow: "I play/coach the best I can and I want my team to win whether I contribute or not." The media will twist it around to make it news.

Brady probably didn't mean it the way it was put in the article, but you can bet he will be having this over his head as he seeks out another NFL job.

He should just become an ESPN college analyst anyway.Posted by Orange_and_Blue on 2012-02-21 14:18:06

Brady Quinn will now get Lloyded by the true believers. He's been nothing but a professional and team player in his time here. He didn't say anything here that wasn't completely obvious.Posted by ohiobronco on 2012-02-21 14:13:17

Bunch of regurgitated quotes that were said earlier in the season. Silver is one step away from being a tabloid reporter.

Call me crazy, but I honestly think the season would have taken some different turns had Brady Quinn not completely stunk in the final preseason game. Quinn had a lot of people optimistic and excited up until then. But then Fox's words about Quinn to the sideline reporter going in to the locker room: "Yeah, that's about as bad as it gets."

I believe Fox was probably seeing Quinn as the second-string quarterback to *both* Orton and Tebow, from the beginning.

At any rate, it did change context for me to see that Quinn's final comment was not spoken after the season (or recently), but after the win against Chicago.

Posted by tunesmith on 2012-02-21 14:04:32

Hmm there's reports now that Silver said that the article in GQ took Brady Quinn's statements out of context.Posted by Bronco_Mike on 2012-02-21 14:02:19

Maybe its just me, but I don't equate some of the stuff Quinn said with being "humble" or being a "leader." But no worries, sour grapes aside Brady, you won't be back with our team. There's a reason you were passed out of the top 10 in the draft, there was a reason you played musical chairs with other QB's in Cleveland, there's a reason you didn't become the guy here. It just might have more to do with your capabilities than fan pressure, just my two cents.Posted by Bronco_Mike on 2012-02-21 13:57:02

TT continues to confound us all. After Detroit, and then again after KC, I thought he had played his way back to the bench. Then he had monster games each time. So, let me say that I have zero faith in my ability as a prognosticator.But I don't think things go forward in this configuration forever. I still think next year, either he shows us he is The Man or he is gone. I don't think his fans can keep him on the field if there is no significant improvement. Most of them, a few zealots aside, realize it does not work unless the QB improves and the team wins. They just have a different view of the likelihood of that happening than I do.Posted by Alaskan on 2012-02-21 13:13:43

I actually really enjoyed that article, from Mike Silver of all people.Posted by DavidInLA on 2012-02-21 12:56:16

He's not exactly wrong but he shouldn't be out bashing his teammates like this, even if it is accurate.Posted by rich on 2012-02-21 12:54:09

Yup Sam, and dont forget we went to the playoffs and won a game! Say what you want about the "circus" but the team performed better with #15 than without. winning kept the "circus" in town, not the TT Fans. Do you honestly believe he would be the starter going to camp if we finished the season 5-11 or worse?

Only time will tell if that is sustainable.Posted by BRASO on 2012-02-21 12:49:30

It's not TT that has more say than Elway, Fox or Xanders.

It's the crazy TT fans who feel he can do no wrong and even when he fails, he's actually succeeding because CHRIST and FREEDOM.

"45% isn't acceptable... unless it's Tim!" they'll shout. "Then it's exactly what we want, because he's winning games and that will surely continue in perpetuity because we really really want to believe it." Every report out of camp last year had Tebow absolutely sucking ass. Every single one. Didn't shut up the Tebownuts. Billboards followed. The circus came to town.

And while starting Tim was a necessary evil -- I was as curious about him being a pro-level QB as anyone else -- I think it could have absolutely screwed the team, long term. We won't be drafting a guy that is likely to compete with Tebow this year. If he gets another string of luck and we end up in the playoffs (before getting dominated AGAIN by a straight up better team with a straight up better quarterback), we won't draft his replacement next year, either.

So great news for folks who are fans of the Broncos because of Tim Tebow.

Bad news for fans who want good quarterback play.

As for Quinn's comments, I feel for the guy like I felt for Orton. Neither guy asked for this bullshit, and neither guy knew being traded to Denver would result in the worst parts of humanity raining down upon them.Posted by Sam on 2012-02-21 12:22:30

or that Quinn hasn't played an NFL game in two years and the last season he did, his completion percentage was almost as bad as Tebows [53%]?

He had 8 TD passes in 10 games in 2009. The problem with that is that 4 were in one game and 3 in another. That leaves one TD for the other 8. He couldn't beat out Derek Anderson on a team where he was a first round pick.

Or are we going to talk about his preseason work for the Broncos this year against backups?Posted by Todd Jewell on 2012-02-21 12:09:26

Guy,

If Quinn was soo good why couldnt he beat out Orton in the preseason? I think the obvious answer is because he was not good enough. Just like he was not good enough in Cleveland.

Quinn is not a good QB, he had several years to beat out Orton and couldnt.

They played #15 to see what they had in him(they already knew what they had in Orton and Quinn), my brain tells me they wanted #15 to fail so Elway could draft "his guy" in the top 5. Once again starting #15 was the best move for the future of the franchise.Posted by BRASO on 2012-02-21 12:08:39

Guy, I am a Tebow skeptic and don't like the circus. But it seems a bit over the top to say TT has more say than Elway. I think this will all play itself out. This time next year, either: 1) TT improves and becomes a servicable QB going forward, or 2) He does not and he is gone. If the team wins, Tebow keeps his job. If the team opens the season the way it closed the last one, losing 4 out of 5, there won't be any outcry loud enough to keep Tebow as the starter.Posted by Alaskan on 2012-02-21 11:55:17

...or, crazily, they might have wanted to see what they had with the guy in whom the previous regime had invested a 1st rounder.

Posted by Alex on 2012-02-21 11:49:34

Ha ha. That is a pretty ridiculous assumption. Yea, Brady Quinn was hosed...in a way. But the team simply had more confidence in Tim Tebow. But to say that The QB's that come in will not get a chance to compete for the job is so inaccurate it's not even funny. I guarantee you that if Fox and Elway see something in another quarterback, that quarterback will be getting the chance to start. Also, dont be surprised when we draft a QB in the first or second round. Elway isn't stupid.Posted by Broncorick69 on 2012-02-21 11:46:50

TJ what this confirms is what I have been saying since the beginning. Some christians are more equal than others. Quinn was hosed during his time with the Broncos. Of course he wants out. Anyone would. Why would any QB come to Denver after reading this? You will never get a fair chance to even compete for the job. Tim Tebow has more say in the organization that John Elway and that is scary.Posted by Guy Thatcher on 2012-02-21 11:38:46

I'm sure this sounds stupid, but it's not beyond my own imagination to believe that what the Broncos' org thought was needed more than anything was a spark, a sort of jump-start. There was nothing wrong per se with Kyle Orton's mechanics or thought process or whatever, but the team was flat and falling with him in. Would Brady Quinn have provided the kind of lift that they needed? Many of you understand the game way better than me, its one of the reasons I like reading this site. But obviously, since this decision was about more than mechanics, isn't it valid and reasonable that it was more about the intangibles? If so, then it makes sense from a football perspective to put Tebow in before Quinn. I understand it's kewl and fun to scoff at everything The Organization does right now, I mean, cynicism=wisdom, right? But, I have to assume at the same time, these guys' work means a little more to them than to operate on such a shallow level.Posted by pubkeeper on 2012-02-21 11:35:59

I like Quinn and expect there is some truth to what he said. Still, Quinn was likely not the future of the Broncos and Tebow might be. It would be real interesting to be a fly on the wal when EF&X are discussing the QB situation.Posted by bradley on 2012-02-21 11:18:03

While I don't necessarily agree with his comments, I don't feel they are entirely baselessPosted by Brett Sills on 2012-02-21 11:17:42